Omi: an Automated Organ-on-a-Chip System and Perfusion Platform

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Mimic Microphysiological Conditions in Organ-on-a-Chip Studies

Omi is an automated organ-on-a-chip system developed by Fluigent. It controls perfusion, recirculation, sampling and injection in microfluidic cell culture chips, and runs either as a single unit or as a synchronised dual configuration. The Omi is an automated system that helps control the microphysiological fluidic environment of organ cells inside microfluidic chips. With multiple protocol functions (perfusion, recirculation, sampling, and drug delivery), the Omi ensures precise shear stress control and supports long-term recirculation. It is compatible with any type of chip to sustain different cell culture types or organ-on-a-chip models (liver, gut, skin, etc.).

Ask for a quote or a demo Specifications

Main benefits

Designed for biology
Suited for cell culture under sterile conditions.
Versatile
Can be used with virtually any microfluidic chip design.
Efficient
Automated and fully integrated platform (Shear stress, flow rate, and pressure control).
Easy-to-use
Intuitive interface and technology for beginners and advanced researchers.

Applications: Control Your Experiment With Fluigent’s Omi

Omi covers single- and double-channel configurations: endothelial and vascular models, gut-on-chip, tumour models for drug response, and liquid–liquid interfaces such as the blood–brain barrier. Flow rate and shear stress are set per configuration, so one instrument serves vascular perfusion, barrier integrity work, drug screening and ADME-Tox studies without a hardware change.

The Omi is ideal for cellular organ models, drug discovery, ADME-Tox and Safety.

Single Channel Configuration

Blood Vessel Reproduction: Reproduce precise shear stress conditions of blood vessels with endothelial cells-on-chip using the Omi organ-on-a-chip system.

HUVEC cells before connexion to Omi — HUVEC cells before connection to Omi platform

HUVEC after 7 days of culture media recirculation
with Omi — HUVEC after 7 days of culture media recirculation with Omi

Application note — Controlling Flow Rate and Shear Stress with Omi™ to Study Endothelial Cell Response

Gut-on-chip: Achieve optimal flow control and sustained culture conditions, enhancing cell differentiation, nutrient delivery, and intestinal barrier function to accurately replicate the human intestine.

Caco2 cells before Omi — Caco2 cells before connection to Omi

Caco2 cells after 7 days of culture medium recirculation with Omi

Application note — Gut-on-Chip Model Development Using OOAC Platform, Omi

Microfluidic Application Notes
Gut-on-Chip Model Development Using OOAC Platform, Omi
Read more

Gut-on-chip modeling: A recent paper by Delannoy et al. in Lab-on-Chip (2025) compares static and dynamic cell cultures and its impact of colonization bacteria (by L. plantarum co-culture and S. Flexneri infection) on a Caco-2 gut on chip model.

Cancer Drug Discovery

Mimic the effect of drug compounds on tumor cells to evaluate their response to treatments.

Support & Tools
Shear Stress Calculator
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Liver–Kidney Organ-On-Chip Model

To better understand how the liver and kidney jointly process Tacrolimus, researchers (from University of Limoges Pharmacology and Transplantation UMR 1248) developed a interlinked organ-on-chip (OOC) model using the Omi™ Dual Platform.

Double Channel Configuration

Liquid / Liquid interface:

When the Omi’s fluidic system is paired in two, it allows users to model liquid–liquid interfaces to reproduce physiological functions of different human organ models.

Blood-Brain-Barrier:

Assess vascular permeability and brain cells-on-chip. Our microfluidic functionalities and protocols allow for accurate cell organisation and physiology to study the microenvironment of the human brain.

Discover more about organ-on-a-chip technology and its diverse applications with our white paper.

« I’m thrilled to share that I’ve used Omi on numerous occasions for my cell biology experiments as part of my PhD. Omi is the simplest tool I’ve been able to use for on-chip organ recirculation and perfusion. Everything is integrated into a single device, and the sterile consumables are easy to use, which greatly reduces the risk of contamination.
Tablet and web applications allow real-time monitoring of experiments in progress, making it the perfect user-friendly tool. I’m really excited to be able to develop new biological applications with Omi! »

Arthur Salles – PhD Student

CNRS LIED – Team « Microsystèmes Cellulaires » – Université Paris Cité

Multi-Organ and ADME-Tox Configurations

Two Omi units synchronised in dual mode connect two organ models on one shared circuit, so medium leaving the first chip perfuses the second. This reproduces inter-organ transfer and first-pass metabolism, the basis of ADME-Tox work: absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity measured on linked human tissue models rather than on one isolated organ.

A liver–kidney model built with the Pharmacology and Transplantation laboratory UMR 1248 at the University of Limoges used the Omi Dual platform to follow how the two organs jointly handle tacrolimus. The application note describing that model is linked in the Applications section above.

Flow direction is itself an experimental variable. In work carried out with the Leiden Organ-on-Chip Center at Leiden University Medical Center, hiPSC-derived endothelial cells were cultured for five days under static, bidirectional and unidirectional recirculating flow, the last delivered by Omi up to a maximum shear stress of 0.912 dyn/cm². Only unidirectional flow produced elongation along the flow axis and Golgi–nucleus polarisation. The hiPSC-derived vascular organ-on-chip application note gives the protocol and the image analysis.

For parallel work, up to 12 Omi units are monitored from one tablet, and the high-throughput organ-on-chip perfusion pack applies the same pressure-driven control to larger chip arrays. Adding a SWITCH EZ valve controller redirects flow between reservoirs and chips, so compound exposure, washout and sampling run without manual reconnection.

Several Protocol Functions Can Be Produced with a Single Omi Platform

One Omi runs four fluidic protocols on the same chip without reconnection: perfusion, unidirectional recirculation, sampling of secreted factors, and injection of fresh medium or test compounds. Volumes of 1 to 3 mL are handled at flow rates from 1 µL/min to 1 mL/min, programmed once in the protocol editor and executed automatically.

Perfusion

Perfuse up to 3 mL of several types of liquids, such as cell culture media, for long periods of time in a controlled and reproducible way. The Omi can perfuse culture media at low flow rates, making it easier to maintain sensitive spheroid and organoid cultures within microfluidic chips.

Recirculation

The microfluidic organ-on-chip system can produce unidirectional recirculation of media while maintaining user-defined flow rates with high precision. Read our technical note on long-term recirculation for organ-on-a-chip applications.

Sampling

Sample up to 3 mL of soluble factors secreted in the culture medium for analysis or imaging.

Injection

Inject up to 3 mL of fresh medium during an experiment.

Flow rate and pressure rate monitoring over time for 50 µL/min

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Designed for Incubators and Live-Cell Imaging

Omi measures 190 × 120 × 60 mm and weighs 694 g, so several units share one standard incubator. It operates between 15 and 40 °C on incubator air or an O2/CO2 mix, and a two-hour battery lets a running experiment be carried to a microscope for live-cell imaging without stopping perfusion.

Unattended and 24/7 Operation

The Omi features a two-hour battery backup supply for uninterrupted operation. In addition, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity ensures easy setup and monitoring of your protocols through its user-friendly application interface. It can easily be transported from an incubator to a microscope to perform live cell imaging while maintaining cell perfusion under battery power.

For runs that continue overnight or across a weekend, the protocol is written once in the Omi app and executed autonomously, with flow rate and pressure reported remotely; up to 12 devices are followed from a single tablet. In hybrid setups that combine Omi with LineUP Series modules, LINK connects the modules to the control software, and a Flow Unit sensor supplies real-time flow measurement on the LineUP side of the circuit.

Figure: Omi under a microscope, connected to the software

Reproducibility and experimental versatility

The Omi automated perfusion platform can be used in different modes:

Single mode: single channel perfusion for cell culture, such as blood vessel.

Dual mode: double channel perfusion for co-culture to perform liquid/liquid interface or blood-brain barrier by synchronising two Omis with one organ-on-a-chip.

Designed for Incubators and Live-Cell Imaging

Unattended and 24/7 Operation

Figure: Omi under a microscope, connected to the software

Reproducibility and experimental versatility

The Omi automated perfusion platform can be used in different modes:

Single mode: single channel perfusion for cell culture, such as blood vessel.

Dual mode: double channel perfusion for co-culture to perform liquid/liquid interface or blood-brain barrier by synchronising two Omis with one organ-on-a-chip.

Compact and Transportable: One incubator, several Omis

This space-saving platform allows multiple Omis inside a single incubator for a given experiment. Units can be easily transported to a microscope for real-time monitoring while maintaining perfusion.

Contamination-free

Inject cell or fresh medium, deliver test compounds, collect samples without disconnecting the microfluidic chip and disturbing the experiments.

Specifications

Omi is specified for flow rates from 1 µL/min to 1 mL/min at up to 600 mbar, with a 3 mL reservoir and a minimum recirculated volume of 2 mL. The cartridge is medical-grade polycarbonate and MVQ silicone; supplied tubing is 250 µm ID FEP with 1/16″ OD fittings. Full tables follow.

PERFORMANCE

Flow rate control	From 1 µL/min to 1 mL/min*
Maximum pressure	600 mbar at maximum
Fluid reservoir volume	3 mL
Perfusion / Injection / Sampling volume	From 1 mL to 3 mL
Min volume recirculated	2 mL

* The flow rate depends on the microfluidic chip and the adaptator.

HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS

*Dimensions (LWH)*	190 x 120 x 60 (mm)
Weight	694 g
Operating temperature	15-40°C
Gas input pressure	Atmospheric pressure
Gas input composition	Dry 2 µm-filtered air, O2/CO2 mix or incubator air

ELECTRONICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Power supply voltage	24 V DC
Max energy consumption	12 W
Max current requirement	0.5 A
Battery autonomy	2 h

CARTRIDGE SPECIFICATIONS

Dimensions	80 x 60 x 36 (mm)
Weight	56 g
Materials	Medical grade polycarbonate and MVQ silicone*
Working fluids	Water based solutions, IPA, Ethanol
Cleaning	Isopropanol, 80%/20% v/v water ethanol solution, tergazyme 1%

*Check the material compatibility of solutions with the wetted materials available in the Omi’s Datasheet

TUBING SPECIFICATIONS

Material	FEP (provided) , but other materials possible depending on the connector
ID	250 μm (provided), but other can be used depending on the application
OD	1/16” (provided), but other can be used with a compatible 1⁄4-28 flat bottom connector

Omi SOFTWARE (tablet)

Control in real-time, protocol automation, data record and export

ver. 1.2.3 or more recent

*Provided with the Omi device

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fluigent.omi

Omi WEB:

Manage your team and monitor your running experiments

https://omi.fluigent.com/login

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I clean the disposable elements to reuse them?

No. These disposables are for one time use. If the disposables are reused, Fluigent cannot guarantee accurate results.

Can I use ethanol or isopropanol in my protocols?

No, only during cleaning and sterilization steps.

How many experiments can I run with the disposables without replacement?

One experiment can be run from several hours up to multiple weeks.

How can I clean the Omi organ-on-a-chip system?

For the external cleaning of the device, gently wipe the surface with a tissue and ethanol or isopropanol. For the cleaning of the fluidic part, we highly recommend following the specific cleaning protocol that can be found in the Omi App protocol editor. Manual cleaning can be performed using the Omi manual mode by recirculating your own detergent through the system.

How many Omi devices can I control with my tablet?

Users can monitor up to 12 Omi devices with the tablet. In the Omi app on the homepage, up to six devices are visible at once. When you have more than six devices, you must scroll left to the second page to see the other devices. When launching an experiment with the Omi, you will receive data every two or three seconds from the six devices present on the homepage. The devices that are not visible on the homepage are monitored every 30 seconds.

Can I use my own tablet to control the Omi?

Fluigent provides a tablet with the purchase of an Omi. Other tablets can be used, but we do not guarantee the same performance.

How much does an organ-on-a-chip system cost?

Cost depends on the number of Omi units, single or dual channel operation, the chips chosen, and the volume of consumable cartridges the planned run duration requires; a tablet is supplied with the instrument. A written quotation covering instrument, cartridges and chips is issued on request, and a demonstration can be arranged beforehand.

What is the difference between an organ-on-a-chip platform and a perfusion pump?

A pump moves liquid. A platform also controls the conditions the cells experience, records them and repeats them. Omi combines pressure-driven flow control, real-time flow measurement, protocol automation, sampling and injection in one enclosure, whereas a syringe or peristaltic pump delivers a set volume with no shear stress feedback and, in the peristaltic case, a pulsed profile. A side-by-side comparison of pressure-based and peristaltic control is available in the resources section below. Researchers who prefer to assemble their own loop can build one from a Flow EZ controllere rather than a turnkey platform.

Can Omi run several organ models in parallel?

Yes, in two senses. Several Omi units run independent models side by side in one incubator, with up to 12 monitored from a single tablet. Two units can also be synchronised in dual mode so that two chips share one circulating medium, which is the configuration used for interconnected liver–kidney and other multi-organ models.

Which microfluidic chips are compatible with Omi?

Omi is supplied with 250 µm ID FEP tubing and 1/16″ OD fittings, and connects to any chip accepting a 1/4-28 flat-bottom connector. Fluigent’s cell culture and organ-on-a-chip range covers single-channel, dual-channel, gradient and air–liquid interface designs.

Omi: an Automated Organ-on-a-Chip System and Perfusion Platform